Locking means for control-levers.



F. B. MILLER.-

LOCKING MEANS FOR CONTROL LEVERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-20. 1915.

Patented. Apr. 20,1915.

INVENTOR a l i Emu THE NGRRIS PETERS 00., PHOTGLITHOQ WASHINGTUN, D. C.

FRANK B. MILLER, 0F NORWALK, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO THE ATWOOI) AUTOMOBILE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

LOCKING MEANS FOR CONTROL-LEVERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. MILLER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Locking Means for Control-Le vers; and I do hereby declare the followlng to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention-relates to means. particularly intended for use in connection with automobiles for lgpkipg jhLq fi1..Q1 levers thereof in neutral or inoperative position.

The object of my invention is the provision of a simple and eflicient lock of this character which is strong and durable in its construction, inexpensive of manufacture and application to a car, and which is capable of being conveniently operated by the driver from his seat in the machine.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple locking means, which is capable of being easily and quickly applied to the numerous types of control levers employed in connection with automobiles, thus enhancing the practicability and commerclal value of locks of this character.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figures 1 and 2 are different side elevations of a control mechanism equipped with my lock with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 33 in Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged sections on the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 7 is a section on the lme 7 7 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a control-lever of the type commonly used 1n automobiles, and which is mounted on a shaft 11 for rocking movements both transversely and longitudinally thereof to enable it to be engaged with one or the other of a pair of control-levers 12, 13 disposed at opposite sides thereof, and then to move the engaged lever in either direction transverse to the shaft 11, as is will understood in the art.

The control lever 10 projects through and has movements within a guide 1 1, which is shown in the present instance (Fig. 7) as being of H-slot form, as this is the type of guide most commonly used for the controllevers of automobiles. As is well understood in the art, the lever 10, when in neutral position stands intermediate the ends of the tongues 15, 15 of the guide, as shown in Fig. 7, and may be moved from such position into either of the guide slots 16 and 17 and lengthwise of such slots, as the running of the machine may require.

The lock comprlslng my invention is mounted on the lever 10 Without the guide 1 1 and in position for its locking guide engaging part to be projected into the guide slot at one side of the lever when the lever is in its neutral position with respect to said slot, as shown in Fig. 7, the combined width of the lock bolt and lever being such that one or the other will engage with the guide tongues 15 and prevent a shifting of the lever lengthwise in either slot 16, 17 from neutral position. This lock embodies a case 18 that is provided lengthwise thercthrough with an opening 19 through one side of which the lever 10 projects, while in the remaining portion of said opening at a side of the lever 10 is mounted a block 20 which carries the lock mechanism that is designated 21. This lock mechanism has a bolt member 22, the protracting and retracting move ments of which are controlled by a turning of a key 23 when inserted into the barrel portion of the lock mechanism, such lock mechanism, in the present instance, being of the Yale type. The block 20 is shiftablo Within the case 18 lengthwise of the lever 10 and is provided at the lower end thereof adjacent to the lever 10 with a stud or finger 24, which, when the block 20 is at the limit of its lowering movement with respect to the case 18, is adapted to project into the neutral portion of the guide slot with the lever 10. The block 20 is locked in its lever looking position within the case 18 by the bolt 22 engaging in a registering notch 25 in the case wall, and'is locked in lever released position within the case 18 by the bolt 22 engaging within a registering recess 26 in the case wall, as best shown in Fig. 5.

The block 20 when disposed within the case 18 firmly holds the lever 10 against one side wall of the opening 19, and when the lever is in this position with respect'to the case, the case and lever are prevented from having relative longitudinal movements by reason of a stud 27 on the interiorof the case 18 engaging in a registering notch 28 in an edge of the lever, as best shown in Fig. 6. The block 20 is prevented from upward removal from within the case 18 by thebolt 22 of the locking mechanism projecting into ,one or the other of the notches 25 and 26. A spring finger 29 projects upward from the side of the block 20 adjacent to the lever 10 and has its upper end in inward spring thrust contact with a side of the lever to yieldingly bear thereagainst. The upper end of the finger'29 is also provided with an outwardly turned lip 29 to'provide' a finger grip to facilitate a raising or lowering of the block within the case 18. A screw is threaded through one side wall of the case 18 and projects at its inner end into a registering vertically elongatedrecess 31 in the block 20 to limit the vertical movements of the block within the case 18 so that the bolt 22 will stand in register with the recess 25 when the block is at the limit of its downward' movement, and will stand in register with the recess 26 when the block is at the limit of its upward movement within the case. In order to entirely remove the block 20 from within the case, it is necessary to retract the bolt 22 from locking engagement with either recess 25 or 26 and to remove the screw 30 from within the recess 31. This being done the block can be drawn upward entirely out of the case 18. After a removal of the block 20 from within the case, the case can be removed from the lever lengthwise thereof after first moving the case transversely of the lever to release the interlockingen'gagement of the stud and recess 27 and 28 of the case and lever.

It. is evident that while it is necessary to remove the screw 30 from engagement with the block slot or recess 31 in order to remove the block 20 from the case 18, it will be underst'ood that the block cannot be removed from the case until the bolt 22 of the locking mechanism has been retracted from engagement with either recess 25, 26.

In the use of my invention, it will be understood that when the lock is mounted in assembled relation onthe'lever 10, the lever may be locked in its neutral position within the guide 14 by moving the block 20 to its lowered position within the case 18 V 60 and then turning the key 23 to project the bolt 22 into the recess 25. To unlock the lever 10, the operator first inserts the key 23 into the lock and turns it to effect a retraction of the bolt 22, and then engages the upper end of the finger 29 and draws the block 20 upward until the movement thereof is stopped by reason of the screw 30 coacting with the lower end of the recess or slot 31 in the block. The block having been moved to its upper position within the case 18 the key 23 is turned to project the bolt 22- into the upper recess 26 to hold the block in cooperative position with respect to the lever.

It will be understood that the only thing necessary to bedone to attach my improved lock to a control lever is to provide an edge of theilever with a notch 28 suitable to receive the interengaging stud 27 of the lock case, thus enabling the locking mechanism to be attached to a control lever in a simple and secure manner without the use of bolts, screws or other similar connecting means.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts as it is capable of numerous changes and modifications without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. The combination with a lever and a guide member therefor, of a locking mechanism case encompassing a portion of said lever, said case being removable from the lever and said lever and case having parts in loose interengaging connection to prevent relativeendwise movements of the case and lever when engaged, and a locking mechanism removably mounted in said case at one side of said lever and serving to retain the case and lever in interengaged relation and operable to coact with said guide member to lock the lever against predetermined 1 movements relative thereto.

2. The combination with a lever, and a guide member therefor, of a locking mechanism removably carried by the lever and comprising a case having an opening there- 110 through in one side portion of which the lever is located, said case and lever being in removable interlocking engagement when in assembled relation, a block movable in said case opening at one side of the lever 115 and having a locking part projecting without said opening for locking engagement with said guide member, key controlled locking means carried by said block for movements therewith relative to said case and 120 operable to coact with the case to lock the block therein or out of locking engagement with said guide member.

3. The combination with a lever and a guide member therefor, of a locking mecha- 125 nism carried by the lever and comprising a case having an opening therethrough through one side portion of which the lever projects, said case and lever being in removable interlocking engagement, a block movable in said 130 case opening at one side of said lever and having a control part projecting. from one end thereof, and a locking part projecting from the other end thereof, and means for locking said blockagainst movement in the case when its locking part is either in or out of locking engagement with the guide.

4. The combination with a lever and a guide member therefor, of a locking-mechanism case encompassing a portion of said lever adjacent to said guide, said case being removable from the lever lengthwise thereof and said lever and case having parts in loose interengaging connection to prevent relative endwise movements of the case and lever when engaged, a block slidably mounted in said case at one side of the lever and serving to retain the case and lever in interengaged relation, means for limiting the lengthwise movements of said block within the case, means for locking the block at one limit or the other of its movement within the case, a part projecting from said block in position to have locking engagement with the guide when the block is in one position of its movement within the case, and a control member projecting from the block at one side of the lever.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B. MILLER.

Witnesses:

F. E. AUL, M. H. MAYERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. r 

